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August 14, 2023
The British-Albanian singer wrote her new album, ‘You & I,’ while her love story with Taika Waititi was unfolding
By guest author Lane Florsheim from the Wall Street Journal Magazine.
Rita Ora is a frequent subject of the tabloid press, where her street style and musical performances are chronicled at a near-daily clip. But for the last year, the British-Albanian singer has kept one aspect of her life largely private: her wedding to the filmmaker Taika Waititi.
The title track on “You & I,” the album she released in July, “was all about, ‘Do I want to marry this guy?’” said Ora, 32. “It was all those questions and thoughts I had to myself.” She’d kept a journal during the writing process, and has often returned to those pages to “reference what I used to feel like.”
Last August, Ora and Waititi married in a secret and semi-spontaneous ceremony at their home in Los Angeles. The couple invited fewer than a dozen guests; many of Ora’s friends didn’t even know the ceremony was happening. She later asked some of them, including Chelsea Handler, Lindsay Lohan and Kristen Stewart, if they wouldn’t mind doing her a wedding-related favour.
Rita Ora on Marriage, ‘Love Island’ and Being a Crossword Clue
The British-Albanian singer wrote her new album, ‘You & I,’ while her love story with Taika Waititi was unfolding
Rita Ora is a frequent subject of the tabloid press, where her street style and musical performances are chronicled at a near-daily clip. But for the last year, the British-Albanian singer has kept one aspect of her life largely private: her wedding to the filmmaker Taika Waititi.
The title track on “You & I,” the album she released in July, “was all about, ‘Do I want to marry this guy?’” said Ora, 32. “It was all those questions and thoughts I had to myself.” She’d kept a journal during the writing process, and has often returned to those pages to “reference what I used to feel like.”
Last August, Ora and Waititi married in a secret and semi-spontaneous ceremony at their home in Los Angeles. The couple invited fewer than a dozen guests; many of Ora’s friends didn’t even know the ceremony was happening. She later asked some of them, including Chelsea Handler, Lindsay Lohan and Kristen Stewart, if they wouldn’t mind doing her a wedding-related favour.
“I said, ‘Look, I know you’re all mad at me because no one was in it. So if there was a message you wanted to tell me, it would be lovely and I’d love to put it in a video,’” Ora said.
Their messages appear in the opening of her music video “You Only Love Me.” Stewart tells her friend, “I just had the craziest dream that you were getting married and I wasn’t there.”
“It was amazing to see them all really pull through,” Ora said.
Ora, who has acted in “Fifty Shades of Grey” and the TV series “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight,” lives in L.A. and London with Waititi. Here, she discusses her recent appearance on the British reality series “Love Island,” what she’s reading and how it feels to frequently appear as a crossword puzzle clue.
What time do you get up on Mondays, and what’s the first thing you do after waking up?
Roughly 9 o’ clock. I get up, brush my teeth and go straight to the gym. I usually exercise five to six times a week.
What do you do for exercise?
I do about three days of weights and cardio, and then I do two days of Pilates, which is more like my version of a day off but it’s still intense.
How do you like your coffee and breakfast?
I like a black, boiling-hot coffee. I’d probably have a bit of fruit or a yogurt. The coffee usually keeps me going until early lunch.
What’s your beauty routine like?
I don’t use any face wash in the morning, just water. Then I put on all my products: my day serum, my SPF tint and a really light moisturizer. It’s all about hydration and looking sort of shiny and healthy.
Going into a new week, is there anything you do on Monday to set yourself up for the week ahead?
I write my week out on a whiteboard so I can really see what I need to achieve. It’s really big for me to visualize what I’m doing.
What do you do for exercise?
I do about three days of weights and cardio, and then I do two days of Pilates, which is more like my version of a day off but it’s still intense.
How do you like your coffee and breakfast?
I like a black, boiling-hot coffee. I’d probably have a bit of fruit or a yogurt. The coffee usually keeps me going until early lunch.
What’s your beauty routine like?
I don’t use any face wash in the morning, just water. Then I put on all my products: my day serum, my SPF tint and a really light moisturizer. It’s all about hydration and looking sort of shiny and healthy.
Going into a new week, is there anything you do on Monday to set yourself up for the week ahead?
I write my week out on a whiteboard so I can really see what I need to achieve. It’s really big for me to visualize what I’m doing.
Do you have any favourite memories from making the album?
I was just so happy and proud of it that I was playing people things that weren’t even finished, which is usually not what I do. This time around, it felt better to play people rough things and that was really exciting, looking at their faces.
How would you describe the personality of the album?
Mature, artistic, fun. There’s a song, “That Girl,” and it’s about really understanding that you can always have that kid in you. It’s more mature, definitely wiser, but fun and vibrant.
How did you get Fatboy Slim to agree to remake “Praise You” for your album?
I just didn’t really stop. I knew he would be very, very protective over it. He loved my vision, because it wasn’t trying to copy his version. It was just respecting it.
Did you know you’re a frequent crossword clue? How does it feel to appear in those so regularly?
My dad has this chess club, and they love doing crossword puzzles. There’s this huge population of Albanians and Kosovans in New York City, and they send him pictures all the time of crossword puzzles. I wonder why my name’s being used so much. I don’t do them as often, but I love it. It’s a huge compliment.
You’ve got a lot of vowels.
You’re right. It makes sense. If you’re reading this and you make the crossword puzzles, continue, because it makes me feel really, really important.
You recently performed in an episode of “Love Island.” Are you a fan of the show?
I love the show. It was so much better before when they were doing so much stuff and had a smoking area and they were all just talking about each other. It’s such a great distraction for me in my life. I’m a huge reality buff.
What was it like to be in the famous villa?
They were so surprised that I knew who they were. I was like, “Oh, my God, Jess!” I knew all their names and they were just shocked. At one point I think the producer had to come in and just be like, “Can you guys just try and relax and be normal?”
Your Architectural Digest home tour featured many vintage pieces. What’s your secret when it comes to shopping for décor?
I’m really proud of my house. I’m actually sitting in it right now looking out at the garden. First of all, I’m all for finding a good price tag, a great bargain. It’s not all about how expensive something is, it’s about the time period and quality. Because this house was so old, it was really important for me to bring furniture in that felt like it matched the house.
What’s something you’ve dragged Taika into that he ended up enjoying?
Health stuff, like in the sauna. In the morning, I go to the gym and I sit in the sauna but I don’t think he used to have the patience for that. He’d probably say it differently, but I think he’s starting to enjoy that 40 minutes of calmness where you just have to sit with yourself.
What’s your most prized possession?
Probably my mum’s engagement ring. She gave it to me when I got married. It was a really thoughtful gift.
What are you reading and watching?
I’ve been watching “The Offer,” about how they made “The Godfather.” And I’ve been reading a book called “Klara and the Sun” [by Kazuo Ishiguro].
What’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten that’s been important to you?
It’s not that bad. Like, this too shall pass. It feels so bad, but you will get through it if you just hold out.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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